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Sunday, April 30, 2023April 30, 2023
Read: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/043023.cfm
Listen: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-april-30-2023
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
One of the terrible side-effects of abuse is the feeling that we are somehow to blame for the harm that was done to us, and we conclude that we are deserving of it. We come by this naturally it is one of the consequences of the fall. The sense of guilt that instrumental in helping us identify when we need to seek reconciliation becomes warped and twisted into self-depreciating shame. Rather than leading us to turn back to God for the healing He so desires for us, shame leads us to turn away from Him, convincing us that we are not worthy of forgiveness or deserving of His love. Shame can lead us to doubt that God ever loved us. Christ’s call to repentance is not condemnation or an attestation of our culpability; it is an invitation to return to Him, to be healed, to be free from sin. Not merely the sins we may have committed, but the sins committed against us.
Lord, you know, and I know that I am not perfect. Help me to trust that you love me anyway. Help me to know that you desire good for me. Help me to recognize my dignity as your child, created in your image. Give me the courage to return to you with an openness to your healing and forgiveness.
Amen.
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6
Often the experience of trauma can leave us feeling empty, emotionally numb, like a part of us is missing. It is so easy to be drawn in by the promises of the world… if I were successful in my career …if I were financially solid… if I could find the right relationship… if I were better, more beautiful, stronger… I would feel whole again. We all fall into the trap of thinking that we can make ourselves whole, when the answer to our fulfillment is not formed by our own making, but in following Him who stands by, waiting to Shepherd us, to guide us, to protect us, to refresh our soul, to bolster our courage, to fulfill our every need. “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.”
Lord,
When I feel empty and alone remind me that you are at my side. You have anointed me as your child, your heir. You desire goodness and kindness for me all the days of my life. I have a home in your dwelling place forever. Alleluia.
Amen
1 Peter 2:20b-25
It is so easy for us to feel alone in our suffering. When we look around us, so often what we see is a world that continues to go on despite our pain. When suffering the pain of abuse, we may feel even more isolated and alone. Abuse may be something we have not disclosed to anyone, we may not know anyone else who has been in the same circumstances, we may be reluctant to reach out to others for fear of being devalued or rejected. Peter reminds us that Christ suffered for us and leaves us an example to follow in His footsteps. We are not alone in our suffering. He knows our pain and He goes before us, bearing the sins of all in His body upon the cross. By His wounds we have been healed.
Jesus,
In your passion and death you experienced every imaginable hurt. Remain near to me, reassuring me that I am never alone, for you fully understand and bear my suffering. Give me the courage to follow you through every trial and every pain, handing myself over fully to God.
Amen.
John 10:1-10
Knowing the signs of abuse and the qualities of right relationships is critical in our world where so many young people are harmed by abuse and exploitation. But it can at times feel overwhelming, as though we must be constantly looking over our shoulder, constantly on guard. Christ’s promise for us today is far more than protection from evil in the world, Christ proclaims, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” When so much of our life and energy is consumed in vigilance to avoid those who would threaten to steal and slaughter and destroy, how do we begin to live life abundantly? We begin by immersing ourselves in the Word of God so we come to know His voice, we spend time with Christ in the Eucharist and in our daily lives so that we are not strangers, and we keep our gaze focused on Christ who is the way to abundant life. God does not desire for us to be fearful, paralyzed by hypervigilance. Come follow Him and begin to live with newfound freedom.
Christ,
You came so that I might have abundant life. When the anxieties of life threaten to steal away my peace help me to hear your voice. When the darkness of this world robs me of joy, help me to see your face. Guard my mind and guide my thoughts that I may keep my gaze ever focused on you and my ears always open to your loving guidance. Help me to embrace the abundant life that you secured for me.
Amen.